Mary Pierce

TODAY’S LAUGH: Actress Jenna Elfman (TV’s Dharma) said, “If someone said, ‘Write a sentence about your life,’ I’d write, ‘I want to go outside and play’.”

I love that “life sentence.”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: It got me thinking. What sentence would I write about my life? Some days, “It stinks” would suffice. And on those days when things are nuts in a good way, “What a ride!” would be appropriate.

I complained to DaMama the other day and she said, “Don’t you just want to run away?” Yes, on some days “I want to run away” says it all.

DaHusband offers up a life question every once in awhile: “What IF it just doesn’t get any better than this?” and its corollary, “How long, O Lord?” Life does seem to drag on at times, doesn’t it?

Then there are those moments–precious moments lost in a baby’s smile or a loving embrace–when the only thought is, “Life is too short. Much, much too short.”

What about you? What is your “life sentence” today? Or a deeper question, “What do you want your final life sentence to be?” That’s what really matters–not just the feelings of the moment, but the summation of your life.

Maybe it will be, “I trusted God.” Or “I loved with all my heart.” Or maybe “I made a difference.”  What “life sentence” makes your life worth living?

You think about that. Meanwhile, I’ll be outside playing.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY to DaMama. She’ll be 95 on November 24th and “I laughed” is the perfect life sentence for her!

Speaking of laughs, the TODAY’S LAUGH blog will return on December 2nd. I’ll be off next week celebrating my blessings.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I’m grateful for every one of you! Thanks for blessing my life!

TODAY’S LAUGH: It’s been hard enough to have my Barbie-dreams became Mrs.-Potato-Head-reality. Now friends saw a bumper sticker that takes my mid-life lament to a new level: “WHEN DID MY WILD OATS TURN INTO SHREDDED WHEAT?” (Why they told ME about it I can’t imagine…)

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: Stuff like that can make a gal feel old, so I checked my birth certificate. I’m exactly as old as God intended me to be, given the date of my birth. (Who am I to argue?) But I’ll admit it. I’m slowing down a bit. I AM more interested in oat bran these days than wild oats. More tempted to hit the recliner than the ski slopes. More inclined toward easy listening than rock (unless it’s a rerun of “3rd Rock From the Sun”).

Yes, my list of “Things I Want To Do in Life” is about equal to the list of “Been There, Done That.” And, frankly, it feels good. I’ve accomplished some things. I’ve accepted many others. And I’m learning that what really matters is not the stuff and status youth strives so hard after. What counts is the people who bless our lives, the love and laughter we share, and the faith that, no matter what, tomorrow offers hope.

Perspective and peace are the gifts time offers us, if we are willing to accept them.

So to the youngsters out there I say, “ENJOY IT while you’ve got it!” To the rest of us–millions of us–I say, “We’re in this together. We’re getting older but we’re not done yet! If ever we needed love and laughter and each other, it’s now. So peace, baby, and please pass the shredded wheat…”

NOVEMBER is all about THANKSGIVING and I’m thanking God for each of you this month. Thanks for blessing my life. Be a blessing to someone else today.

TODAY’S LAUGH: I just got back from voting where I heard a guy in line telling his friend, “I’m here because if you don’t vote you can’t complain. And I love to complain.” Hey, whatever it takes! He was voting and that’s always a good thing. And like the song says, “I’m proud to be an American where at least I can complain…”

TODAY’S ENCOURAGEMENT: We vote in the town hall of the small township where we live. The place is about as Mom-flag-and-apple-pie as you can get. And it thrills me to vote there and see my neighbors doing the same. Voting is my civic duty–a privilege–and I love it.

But what leads up to the voting is another story. Is it just my imagination or has this been one LONNNNNGGG campaign season? (Make it stop! Please!) 

What a relief it will be to have no more debates, commercials, phone calls and rallies. No more speechifying. No more rants from the right. No more ravings from the left. No more candidate-bashing vitriol in the blogosphere. (Well, a girl can dream…)

My hope is, once things are settled, that we’ll return to civility and unity behind the values that have long made this nation great. Generosity. Kindness. Forgiveness. Respect. Service. And yes, spirited–and civil–debate.

Tomorrow morning, regardless of the results of today, the sun will rise again. This planet will continue on its course and, God willing, so will we. Four years from now we’ll be at it again but in the meantime, I hope we’ll have a lot less nastiness and a lot more nice.

Call me a cockeyed optimist. But maybe you are too. Dare I hope for us to have a greater spirit of “love one another”? (Lord, let it begin with me…)

My prayer for today is simple. “God, bless America.” And may you be blessed as well!

BE SURE TO VOTE. It’s your right, your duty and your great privilege.